We had several successful days of hunting with Cedar the wily 12-year-old veteran and Bandit the precocious newbie. At dinner every night, the talk always turned to, "what would happen if bandit encountered a live pheasant in an open field." We had lots of laughs playing out the scenarios, but I knew deep down that he'd have no trouble with it.
We soon found out.
We were pushing toward the end of a grassy draw that ran right up to a plowed field. Bandit flushed a rooster just at the edge of gun range, and my uncle dropped it with a 40-yard shot. The bird's legs were turning over before it even hit the ground!
The landed in the field and took off. Bandit was 50 yards behind, but gaining ground fast. When he finally caught up to the bird, it began to "duck and weave" and run in circles. Finally, Bandit lunged, grabbing the bird by the neck. It was still kicking and fighting, so Bandit couldn't get a good grip on the bird to bring it back to me.
The bird got loose for a moment and took off running again. This time, Bandit tackled the bird hard and rolled it. He then grabbed hold of the neck again, gave it a good shake, and came trotting back to me, his prize pheasant held high in the air.
Most people chuckle at the idea of a Jack Russell Terrier hunting pheasants. I have to admit, I even question my own sanity sometimes. But after hunting with him, one has to admit: he's legit.
